This invention relates to improvements in grain drying apparatus for storage bins, and more particularly to an elevated floor system which dries grain at a position above the bottom of the storage bin, and provides for discreet movement of dry grain to the bottom of the storage bin where it may be stored or removed as needed without affecting the grain being dried above the elevated floor system.
Heretofore, grain drying systems have utilized hot air ducts providing a flow of drying air from the bottom of a grain drying bin. Such systems dry the grain near the bottom of the bin first, and thereafter push heated air through such dry grain prior to reaching the wet grain positioned on top of the dry grain. Continuous flow dryers move a limited amount of grain over areas through which hot air is passed. Passing such hot air over only one or two feet of wet grain has proven inefficient as the hot air is not completely saturated during its pass through the wet grain.
A need has arisen for an improved grain drying system which is adapted for use in conventional grain storage bins, which provides for efficient drying by substantially saturating hot air passing through the wet grain, allows any maintenance operations on the drying system to be conducted without moving grain from the storage bin, and allows dry grain to be removed from the storage bin without disturbing wet grain in the bin.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, generally stated, to provide an improved grain drying apparatus which is adapted for mounting and use in existing grain storage bins.